Being Obese And Pregnant: Complications

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Being overweight when you are pregnant brings certain potential risks of attracting pregnancy complications.

If you are overweight and planning to get pregnant, then the best way to avoid pregnancy complications is by losing weight before entering motherhood. Being overweight during pregnancy not only prevents normal ovulation but it also increases the risk of unsuccessful IVF.

Consult your doctor and he will be able to guide you on how to lose weight while maintaining a healthy, nutritious diet. By attaining the perfect weight before pregnancy, your chances of conceiving naturally increase.

However, if you are very overweight and pregnant, keep in constant touch with your midwife or doctor. Don’t try to lose weight while being pregnant as this may be dangerous for you and your baby’s health. Also, there are no substantial evidences proving that losing weight while being pregnant can reduce pregnancy complications but doing so may prove to be unsafe for you and your baby.

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Let us look into some problems that can arise when being overweight during pregnancy.

Gestational Diabetes
Overweight and pregnant women have more chances of falling victim to gestational diabetes (diabetes that hits during pregnancy) than pregnant women of normal weight.

Infection
Pregnant women who are obese or overweight have higher risks of developing urinary tract infections. If you are overweight and pregnant, you also attract an increased risk of developing postpartum infections that can occur after any kind of delivery, be it cesarean or vaginal.

Reduces Chances Of Normal Delivery
If you are overweight and pregnant, you are more likely to undergo an instrumental delivery or delivery through vacuum, forceps or through cesarean.

Cesarean Complications
Obesity during pregnancy increases likelihood of cesarean delivery which brings its own set of complications if the mother is overweight. Your cuts and wounds can take longer to heal it and can get infected as well.

Pregnancy Gets Pushed Beyond Due Date
Another problem that women who are overweight and pregnant may attract is experiencing the exhaustion of being pregnant even after the due date.

Obstructive Sleep Apnea
Overweight and pregnant women are at higher risk of developing obstructive sleep apnea, a sleep disorder in which breathing pauses from a few seconds to minutes several times every hour and suddenly starts again, at times with a loud snort or choking sound.

Besides these, overweight and pregnant women are at higher risk of developing complications like thrombosis, labour problems, preeclampsia and such women can even experience pregnancy loss.

Protecting Baby And Your Health
Thorough antenatal care will help minimise your or baby’s risk of attracting pregnancy complications. Attend all your antenatal appointments so your midwife or doctor can keep a check on you and your baby’s health and help you to prevent any problem that you may face due to being overweight during pregnancy.